The Movement for Democratic Change is calling upon regional leaders in southern Africa to apply pressure on Robert Mugabe to continue working toward a settlement of Zimbabwe's political stalemate. It seems clear that Mugabe must have hoped for just this sort of impasse when he agreed to sit down at the negotiating table to begin with. After all, a breakdown in negotiations allows Zimbabwe to revert to status quo ante, meaning Mugabe gets to maintain power.
Thabo Mbeki and members of his government want the negotiation process to recommence. For myriad reasons it is in Mbeki's interest to broker a deal. To do so would revive Mbeki's flagging reputation and would remind the world that South Africa is still the region's crucial power broker. And now the African Union is lurking in the background, making clear its desire for a resolution in Zimbabwe. It has taken far too long to reach this point, but Mugabe might find himself in a box of his own making, surrounded by Africans applying pressure that will make Mugabe's inevitable claims of colonial imposition sound feeble.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
